


Phantom Son

by Firestorm808



Category: Danny Phantom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:22:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firestorm808/pseuds/Firestorm808
Summary: While sisters of the Sun and Moon were still together, they adopted an abandoned young colt as their son.





	1. Family and Fractures (Rev. 2)

**Author's Note:**

> If any of you want, you can invite me on Discord.
> 
> Discord: Firestorm808#6503
> 
> Twitter: Firestorm808HD
> 
> If any of you have any thoughts, please leave it in a review.
> 
> So, while researching for the future Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle fights and watching the first season, I ended up developing this plot bunny.
> 
> In terms of my review of the show, the overall tone of the show is reminiscent of the original Powerpuff Girls. It does it's best giving each character a unique and diverse personality. It's also one of the few cartoons that utilized flash animation well. Surprisingly enough, one of the main creators, Lauren Faust, would go on to create My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Wander Over Yonder, and DC Super Hero Girls. She's even married to the famous Craig McCracken. Ignoring the stigma brought by pop culture (Bob's Burgers), I do recommend giving it a watch on Netflix.
> 
> Another cartoon that gives a similar lighthearted tone is Craig of the Creek which I also recommend giving a watch. Anyways, here's the intro.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Updated 03/03/19 I decided to reread and revise a good portion of this chapter. I feel that it's much of an improvement like my Shield to Support story. I'll be updating chapter 2 and 3 as well.

**Everfree, Castle of the Two Sisters Throne Room (20 BCR, Before Celestia's Rule)**

A green female maid entered the throne room of the Cosmic sisters. "Your Highnesses. There is an issue in the royal garden."

The eldest stood up followed by the sibling. "Cloverfield, what happened?" asked Celestia.

"Did something happen to Discord?" asked Luna.

Cloverfield shook her head. "No. Nothing that severe. While the royal guards performed their morning patrols, one of them found someone."

"An intruder, then?" asked Luna.

The Cloverfield paused before speaking again. "Something like that. He found an unconscious young colt next to the gazebo."

"Come again?" asked the sisters.

Cloverfield nodded. "It is as I described. The guard found the colt, and we immediately contacted you."

Celestia stepped toward the center of the room along with Luna. "I see. Please, bring the colt here. We would like to see him for ourselves." Cloverfield quickly left, and a few minutes later, a couple of guards brought the sleeping colt in a bundle of blankets. "Thank you."

The sisters began to examine their potential intruder. Luna picked him up to get a better look and blinked at the situation. "This is quite a surprise." The colt's fur was white while his mane, tail, and hooves were black. The shift in movement caused him to shift. A few seconds later, bright blue eyes stared back at Luna. The infants smile pierced through her professional demeanor. "Hello, there."

Celestia shook her head. "The poor child. He must only be about two years old."

"What kind of parent does this?" Luna frowned before she turned to her sister. "Is there any identification on him?"

The first guard Iron Lance shook his head. "Sorry, your majesty. No." His reached into his pocket. "The only thing I found on him is this medallion." He handed it to the sister of the night.

Luna examined both sides. One held a green gem while the other had a gear-shaped symbol. She turned to Celestia. "CW. What do you suppose that means?" The colt in her arms reached for the object and started biting it. Luna chuckled at the naive antics.

Celestia shrugged. "It may be some sort of family crest, but I'm not familiar with anything like it." They have been alive for hundreds of years, so that statement meant a lot. She walked over and allowed the child to play with her hoof.

Luna rocked the colt gently. "If no one claims him, we'll have to send him to the local orphanage?"

Before Celestia answered. The young colt in Luna's arms snuggled onto Celestia's front hoof. She smiled at him. "Maybe."

**One Month Later**

No one had claimed the young colt. It saddened them that he no longer had parents, but Celestia proposed adopting him as their son.

Luna immediately opposed the idea. She argued that it would be a slippery slope. If they adopt this child abandoned on their castle grounds, other parents would leave their children here, hoping for their child to have a better life.

This didn't include political issues. The Noble families in the area would have their reservations about the adoption. Tensions from the old ways still lingered. Compared to the rest of Equestria, Everfree's demographic consisted mostly of Unicorns. This is mostly due to the Star Swirl the Bearded and the other Unicorns originally stationed here to move the Sun and Moon prior to having Celestia and Luna.

Celestia grew a mischievous smirk. "Well then, I suppose we can't let others know he was simply left here. As for the Nobles, their opinions should not influence my personal life."

Luna frowned. "I'm still against this idea."

"I'm still the older sister here. If anything, I'll be the mother. You can be an aunt or something if you're going to act like that."

The lunar sister sighed, "May Harmony be with us."

**Time Skip**

The loyal castle guard and staff who found him took a vow with the princesses. The official story would be that they adopted the young colt from a wayward orphanage on their way back from defeating King Sombra. The two princesses were keeping him a secret until the time was right.

Incidentally, one of the reasons Celestia gave to the public on the decision was to give her life some normalcy after battling Sombra and losing the entire Crystal Empire. Luna wasn't going to lie. Both sisters felt at fault for not being there when their ponies needed them. In a way, most civilian families commended them on the act. It helped the princesses feel more down to earth. Sadly, not everyone in the royal family took kindly to the "street rat" being brought into their ranks.

In a way, the young colt filled the void in their lives. After living for hundreds of years and being treated like goddesses, it starts to feel isolated in their personal lives. The two sisters never found love as others held them on a high pedestal. That type of mindset killed relationships, and they never made families of their own. Over time, they took in nieces and nephews. However, the same problems arose. The only ponies they had were each other.

That all changed now. After some debate, they agreed on naming him Dusk. Parenthood and guardianship were both an exciting and stressful change in their normal routine. Celestia cared and pampered Dusk during the day, and he would sometimes tag along during her duties around Equestria.

Seeing the little one's affection for Celestia develope, Luna got a bit jealous. She wanted to interact with him at night, but the maidens repeatedly told her that it was important for children to get their sleep. This frustrated Luna since she always slept during the day and wasn't around. She was left to do her nightly duties alone for so long. Luna hoped to be able to share her experiences with someone else other than her sister. Little did anyone know, the young pony woke up in the middle of the night and admired the night sky outside his window. Luna started warming up to him once he started bothering her for late night rides.

Luckily, with adversity comes adaptation. A few maids taught the sisters about caring for children. They even recommended that Star Swirl be his godfather. With generous assistance, the princesses raised Dusk to the best of their ability. When both of his sisters were busy, close friends such as Cloverfield and Iron Lance offered to foul-sit.

Star Swirl would educate the stallion on the magical wonders of the world. The wizard was mostly happy to use him as an assistant and subject for his numerous experiments. Clover the Clever noticed this and tried her best to curb her master's tendencies while also taking a part in Dusk's education. Cloverfield assisted Celestia in teaching Dusk proper manners and conduct much to his reluctance. Fortunately, Dusk had more exciting lessons with Iron Lance. The two of them would take part in some guard training and camping. When it came to the latter, Luna always stopped by to socialize.

Even though the other families had their contempt for the young colt's addition to the royal family, the sisters and the son were much happier than before. Dusk brought a sense of discovery and excitement back into their monotonous lives.

Sadly, this wouldn't last forever. Even Alicorns make mistakes, and those mistakes would snowball over time into an event that would change Equestria for many years.

**Everfree, Castle of the Two Sisters Throne Room (2 Hours BCR)**

Dusk walked into Celestia's chambers. "Mom, are you there?"

Celestia looked up from her book. "Ah, Dusk. I've been meaning to ask how your lessons had been going ever since the... incident a few days ago."

"Yeah... Things have been okay. Arkive was boring yet informative as usual. Sonata was nice enough to get me a new bowstring for my viola." He gave a sad chuckle. "Sadly, my last potion attempt with Uncle Star Swirl blew up our study room."

She smiled. "You certainly keep him on his hooves."

"Yeah... I'm sorry if I was disappointing you guys."

Celestia rose from her bed, walked over to him, and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Dusk, believe me when I say that you are not a disappointment. Now, I'm sure there was something else that you wanted to talk about."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to talk to you about Luna. What happened out there?"

She nodded solemnly. "Ah... I figured that we would need to talk about that."

"When Luna came back to the castle, no one said a word. You said that you would explain later, but that never came."

Celestia sighed. "I would have liked to discuss it with calmer minds, but since then, she's locked herself in her room."

Dusk frowned. "I'm worried for her. She rarely answers to anyone except getting her food."

"I'm worried for her too, Son. We need to have faith in her if we are to get through this."

Dusk looked to his mother with pleading eyes. "What did she do to set everyone on edge?"

Celestia took a deep breath and began. "A few days ago, she-"

Suddenly, a guard ran to the door, cutting her off. "Princess Celestia! We have a situation."

"Iron Lance?" questioned Dusk.

Celestia took a professional demeanor and asked, "What happened?"

"Princess Luna's quarters are empty, and the guards stationed nearby have been found unconscious."

Celestia scowled and nodded. "I see. Set the guard to high alert. We need to find her."

"Yes, your majesty." With that, Iron Lance took off to inform the others.

Dusk shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this. What do you think is going on? What's she doing?"

"I don't know, but I fear the worst." Celestia began trotting through the halls.

Following behind, Dusk voiced a thought. "I think I know where she might be." He led Celestia to the royal throne room, and someone stopped them.

"Not... another step!" Princess Luna appeared from behind her throne.

Dusk looked at Luna innocently "Luna, are you feeling okay? You've been avoiding Mom and me lately."

"I'm sorry, Dusk, but please go to you're room. The adults have some differences to take care of."

Celestia stood in front of Dusk protectively. "He's not going anywhere. Luna, what is the meaning of this?"

Luna frowned. "Don't think I don't know how the ponies out there think of me, what you think of me! Did you expect me to sit idly by while they all basked in your precious light while I wither away alone in the dark?"

Celestia balked in shock at the bold accusation. "How could you say that about me or our kingdom? They love you just as much as me."

Luna walked between the two thrones and scoffed. "I highly doubt that. I've seen the way they all look at you compared to me. You are their beautiful sun goddess while I walk behind in your shadow. Things were never the same after Sombra. The only one who cared about me, understood who I am, and understood what I do is your son, Dusk. It comes down to this. There can only be one ruler in Equestria! And that ruler... will be me!"

_(Ponyphonic - The Moon Rises)_

_So why is it that now, When all is quiet and at rest,_

_When candles glow and all the world Is at its very best,_

_The ponies of Equestria Should lock themselves away_

_To shun the moon and wait Instead for sister's sunny day._

_Am I so wrong to wish that They would see things like I do?_

_And am I so wrong to think That they might love me too?_

_Why shouldn't they adore me, Is it not within my right?_

_I'll not be overshadowed._

_Mine is not the lesser light!_

_I've waited long enough now For them all to come around_

_And though the sun may plead and threaten, The Moon will stand her ground!_

_It comes to this at last, I will no longer yield the sky_

_If they cannot love but one princess alone!_

_See, the moon is rising._

_She has come to claim the heavens For her own._

_And all will know the wonders Of my dark and jeweled sky_

_When all the world is wrapped in an eternal lullaby!_

_So say goodnight of this, the final setting of the Sun_

_Tomorrow dawns in darkness, The Night Time has begun!_

With a stomp of her hoofs, he eyes glowed in rage, and the wall and stained glass window behind shattered, revealing the sun. A dark shadow crept through the room. She rose into the air with her front hooves held high. Outside, Luna raised the moon, blocking out the sun in a total eclipse. Once complete, dark energy poured from the eclipse and drew into Princess Luna. The energy coalesced around her into a black sphere. The energy began to burn as storm winds ravaged the room. The aura change from black to midnight blue. It soon expelled, leaving the Alicorn for all to see. Her fur and feathers shifted to a deep black. Her pupils narrowed. Teeth sharpened. A maniacal laugh filled the air as she touched back down to Earth.

Dusk hid behind his mother. "Mom, what's going on? Why does Luna look like that?"

Celestia placed a soft hoof on his shoulder. "Just stay behind me, son. I'll keep you safe."

Malicious cosmic energy swirled around her. Focusing her power, she shot a beam at Celestia's statue and the ceiling. Chunks of rubble crashed down from above.

Celestia cast a small shield to protect them from the debris.

When the dust settled, several guards ran into the throne. Iron Lance and his fellow knights were at the ready after seeing the sky and hearing the crushing stone. They spotted a strange black Alicorn attacking Princess Celestia. As their duty to protect the castle and its inhabitants, they attempted to hold back the strange being until more help could arrive.

Celestia turned again to Dusk. "I need you to hide. It's too dangerous. Find somewhere safe."

Dusk stared back with wide eyes. "What?! I can't just leave you with Luna like that."

"Please, listen to me. Luna... It's hard to explain. Please, trust me. If you got hurt because of me, I could never forgive myself."

"Okay," Dusk reluctantly agreed. "Stay safe and please save her. I don't want to lose both of you." After a quick hug, he ran off.

With their son relatively safe, Celestia flew upward.

The guards surrounded the Black Alicorn. Iron Lance spoke up. "Stand down, intruder. What have you done to Princess Luna?!"

The Dark Princess sneered. "Princess Luna is no more. Celestia will be next." Magic gathered in her horn. "Long live the Nightmare! She sent a wave of destructive magic at them.

While some ducked for cover, others took the brunt force as more of the castle came down. Iron Lance dug his blade into the ground, holding his position. "Don't falter, brothers!" Few managed to recover in time and regroup with their commander. They took cover behind rubble with unicorns taking pot shots over the wall. Iron Lance took account of the situation and his resources. Suddenly, a great white figure flew down to them. "Lady Celestia?"

Her face was crestfallen but put on a brave face for her ponies. "Iron Lance, I am glad to see you safe."

Iron Lance bowed in respect. "To you as well, Princess. How should we engage the enemy?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, the... enemy. Allow me to take the brunt of the attack force. You and your men will do what you can to slow her down and cut her concentration."

"Understood, your highness." He turned to his troops. "Proceed with formation five." His team nodded and prepared to strike. Earth ponies brought out their tower shields. Iron Lance and his lieutenant took arms. Pegasi tested their wings. Finally, unicorns prepared their enchantments. "Set up the defensive line and prepare to fire on the ready!" Following orders, the Earth Paladins slowly moved out of cover, each with a unicorn mage under their protection. "Aerial team, scramble." Several blurs flew into the air.

Just as the Nightmare prepared to attack again, she was slammed into a wall by Celestia. Celestia retracted her wings. "I don't want to fight you! You must lower the moon! It is your duty!"

"I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!" Another Alicorn beam fired, but Celestia took to the skies and out the castle. "And where do you think you're going?" Nightmare Moon followed in pursuit. Eyes glowing, Nightmare levitated the debris around her, broke them down into smaller pieces, and began launching them at her enemies at blinding speeds.

Celestia put up a barrier to cover as much of the troops as possible. A few Pegasi were dodging and weaving around the occasional blast. Another squad took to the night sky for extra firepower. The armored legion persevered through the hailstorm.

Soon, the attack started to fade. Nightmare needed time to conjure another spell. However, she soon met physical blows with Celestia.

Iron Lance took note of the situation. "Now's our chance! Fire!" All the mages horns glowed. Streams of magic connected at a single focal point, increasing in size. The mages began to strain as more and more of their magic filled the attack. Looking up, Celestia was still butting heads with the intruder. "Princess, dive!"

Trusting her Captain's judgment, she complied. The Nightmare was too enraged to react to the combined magical blast in time. The explosion knocked her into another section of the castle.

At that moment, the air force arrived with multiple storm clouds in tow. "Rain fire!" Iron Lance commanded. The Pegasi took a position and bucked the crap out of them, unleashing various weather phenomena upon their target. Lightning scorched the Earth. Hail bludgeoned anything standing. Miniature tornados swept up debris and smashed them together like a blender.

Celestia clenched her eyes, knowing that Luna was in the middle of all that. A minute of the onslaught passed before Iron Lance gave the order. "Hold!" The area filled with smoke and ash. The air went silent.

"Did we win?" asked one of the mages.

As if to answer the question, "Enough of this insolence!" Bright malevolent eyes pierced through the blackness. With a mighty voice, she blew away the smoke before quicky charging her horn for an omnidirectional blast. While Celestia easily took the force, the royal guard was not as lucky. Pegasi crashed down a few kilometers away. Paladins were embedded into walls. Mages collapsed unconscious.

Iron Lance slowly got up, wiping a bit of blood from his muzzle. Celestia stopped him from re-engaging the Nightmare. "Don't. Take your soldiers and fall back. This has become much more dangerous than I had anticipated."

"But, princess," he rasped.

"No, buts. This is a royal order. It's my responsibility to deal with her. Please, safeguard the citizens until this is settled."

Reluctantly, Iron Lance nodded and started collecting his defeated brothers, retreating to the castle and the village.

Without warning, Nightmare fired another horn blast at Celestia. Fortunately, she dodged, and more ceiling came down.

Two balls of light collided in the night sky. Full of energy, the Royal Alicorn sisters charged at each other multiple times. With a glowing horn, Nightmare Moon launched another beam at Celestia, but she performed an aerial dodge in time. Unfortunately, the Sun Alicorn couldn't react to Nightmare Moon teleporting in her face. The lunar Alicorn locked Celestia with her wings before kicking her down below. Back on the ground, Celestia narrowly dodged another blast only for it to follow her. Celestia maneuvered her way to get close. Before another beam made contact, she thrust her wings forward, sending a magical wave to disrupt the attack. Celestia fired her beam point blank at the mad mare, pushing her back.

Both Alicorns fired their respective horns again only for them to make contact with each other. The two sisters stared at each other's eyes as the energy gathered at the center. Celestia's face flooded with tears while Luna expressed malicious determination. Nightmare Moon's beam gained ground as she yelled for more power.

The energy grew near, Celestia began to look in resignation. 'Finally, her attack struck true. Celestia screamed as the intensity before she crashed back down into the throne room.

Nightmare Moon cackled in triumph.

Dusk, who was hiding behind along the castle walls raced toward his mother's fallen body. He saw that Luna's blast left her singed and injured. A large cut went across her side.

"Mom!" He desperately tried to pick her up to no avail.

"Dusk?" Her eyes were glassy.

"We... We have to get out of here!"

She groaned in pain. "I don't think it will be that simple, Dusk. You need to get away from here."

"Maybe if I release Discord..." He rattled his head. "I can't just leave you here!" His face was wet in despair as a soft white hoof held his chin.

"Don't cry, Dusk. You need to be strong. For all of us. For Equestria." Celestia slowly closed her eyes and laid back down.

Dusk eye's widened and desperately tried to keep her awake. "Mom. Mom. Please. I can't lose you too." Tears dripped from his eyes more than before. He felt the searing pain reach to his very core. Unknown to him, white lights flickered around his mid-section. "No. No." His hooves pounded against the ground. "No!" Finally, all of the fear, pain, and anguish let loose. "Ah!" A white halo formed around his body. Splitting in two, they crossed his entire body, and as they crossed, the color of his fur inverted. His white coat became black, and his hooves, collar, tail, and mane became snow white. Black and white wings sprouted from his back. When his eyes opened, they brightly glowed a toxic green.

He could feel the strange energy surge through him. It felt familiar in a way. The cold in his heart only deepened at the sight of his injured mother. As if guided by fate, he pressed his hooves against Celestia's injury. He prayed to Harmony, to any god there was to help him save his mom. He reached deep within himself, hoping for something. His glaring eyes burned with passion. A horn of ice began growing on his forehead, but another energy surge occurred, causing a crack half-way. Slowly, frost began sprouting from his hooves and onto the cut. It glowed a strange white. Her midsection was soon sealed with a layer of permafrost. Underneath, the mysterious energy slowly got to work, repairing the damage. The unconscious Celestia let out a series of coughs before becoming steady breaths.

Dusk thanked the gods on high. His attention shifted to the one who started all of this. On instinct, his wings unfurled and launched him into the air outside in a trail of green energy.

His body ignored the chill of the night, and his eyes darted around. As soon as his eyes focused on her laughing at the fallen Celestia, his anger grew even further. He could feel the energy building within him, begging to be let out. Taking a deep breath, a swirl of toxic green energy pooled. Focusing on Nightmare, he yelled in fury, unleashing a mighty beam.

Nightmare didn't know what hit her. One moment she was gloating over the defeat of Celestia, and the next moment she was bombarded with the strange green energy.

**Meanwhile**

The Iron Lance and the few royal guards who stayed to defend the castle residence were surprised by the new arrival.

"Who the buck is that?!" asked the Lieutenant.

"I don't know, but I'm certainly not complaining, a Paladin," gruffed.

"Wait..." Iron Lance's eyes widened. "Where's the Princess?!" Numerous scenarios ran through his mind; however, they held the same factor. Celestia lost. Iron Lance grabbed onto his brothers and ran back to the battlefield. "The Princess is down!" Along the way, he tried to gather as many fighters as possible.

**Outside**

Nightmare moon fell to the ground hard, leaving a small crater.

Dusk landed on the ground. He felt strange. It was like his body was chasing shadows. Flying and the energy felt so surreal.

Nightmare Moon stood up to get a better look at the attacker. She was expecting to see her sister only for her eyes widened. Even with the change in color and the wings, she could recognize the boy anywhere. "Dusk?"

"Luna, you need to stop this!" he exclaimed.

She could see the trailing tears on his face. 'What happened to you?' Her initial plan was to take him under her wing for her new government after she dealt with the rest of the royal guard. Now, he was here. Playing it safe, she took careful steps toward her nephew. As she drew closer, his breaths grew slightly faster. 'He's scared, and rightfully so.' Right in front of him, Nightmare lifted up his chin with her hoof. Examining him, she noted the shift in magical energy. 'Did he have a similar change to mine?'

Dusk moved his head out of her grasp. He gave a pleading expression. "Please... I just want this to end. Come back, Luna."

A frown marred her face. "I'm sorry, Dusk, but I can't. I've come to close to stop now. Like I said. I'm not Luna anymore."

"That's a lie!" he snarled. "I can feel it," he declared. "She's still there somewhere, under all the fear, anger, and hate. I can't just stand by and watch you and everyone I love suffer." Instinctually, his fractured ice horn glowed toxic green. He could feel the power flow like before but more focused.

Noticing this, she did the same. "Sorry. It looks like we have no choice." As if on cue, both parties launched beams of energy. The beam struggle was brief, but Nightmare Moon saw the minute details. Her attack reached Dusk, snapping the ice horn and sending him back. While her Cosmic Alicorn magic did overpower Dusk's, she could see that his mysterious green energy eroded her magic when it made contact. "Sucha a strange power. How did I not see it before?"

Luna flew toward his floating form. "Can't you see? Trying to stop me is a fool's goal." Her voice held a solemn tone. "Don't make me destroy you. From what I see, you have only begun to discover your power. Join me, and I will make you unstoppable. With our combined strength, we can bring a new order to Equestria." She placed both hooves on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

He wiped his face with a foreleg. "I don't want that. I don't want any of that!" More glowing green tears fell.

Nightmare Moon frowned at the resistance. "It is our destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the land together." She held his head and stared deeply into his soul. "Come with me. It is the only way." Dark tendrils of magic swirled around her grasp.

The emotional colt threw her forelegs away from him. "I want you back. I want Mom back. I want my life back!"

Before she could reply, she narrowly dodged a lightning bolt. Looking to the ground, she groaned in annoyance. It seems that the Knights came back to meet their demise.

The Captain was enraged. "How dare you! How dare you harm our kingdom!" When his group reached the halls earlier, they came upon Celestia's downed figure. Expecting the worse, they nearly broke into tears. However, upon closer examination, she was stable. Some strange ice covered her barrel. She was alive. He immediately ordered some of his men to take her to the infirmary to be treated. He and the rest of his brothers made their way here.

"Iron Lance!" Dusk exclaimed, glad that one of his closest friends was safe.

The knight briefly held the same expression Nightmare had upon seeing him. "D-dusk?"

"That's prince Dusk?" a shocked unicorn mage asked. 'Why in Tartarus's name is he a pegasus?!'

"Look out!" his Lieutenant yelled, pushing Lance out of the way of black fire streams.

Getting into battle positions, they continued their previous strategy. Iron Lance and the remaining Paladins would tank the blows while the Pegasi and Mages made precise attacks. "Focus on the Nightmare! The small one is an ally!"

Similar to his previous training exercises, Dusk tried his best to counter the obviously stronger opponent.

While the attempts of Dusk, Lance, and the Knights made some headway, Nightmare wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. Conjuring her own weather magic, she created a much larger hurricane sweeping up the Air unit one by one along with Dusk. Their wings simply didn't have the lift to resist. With great strength and speed, she bashed into the shields nearly tearing into the armor of the Paladins with ease. The mages stood no chance with their defense gone. One clenched his eyes forming a small barrier. Auror waited for the impact only to feel nothing. Opening his eyes, he saw Captain Lance in front of him down on his knees in a deep crater.

Dusk was the first to recover and fly back to the scene. His eyes widened in shock at the new crater. Iron Lance gasped for breath. His shield had broken into many pieces. It was obvious that if he kept going, he would be no more. Dusk's mind raced as the pressure kept building inside. He raced toward Nightmare. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" he yelled between gasps. The air grew colder, and his wings ignited with green and blue energy. Like a flash of light, Dusk's hardened feather's slammed into the Black Alicorn.

Nightmare Moon fell back, surprised by the force. Before she moved, a chill ran up her spine. Looking down at her fur, she saw small pieces of permafrost forming. In an attempt to break it off, her hoof seared in sharp pain. 'Ice so cold it burns?' Looking back at Dusk, she noticed even more changes happening.

The green gem on his medallion glowed with his anguish. The blue energy that gathered in his wings started to spread along with his green aura. Horns and plates of ice grew across his body. Icey claws grew on each of his hooves. His tail froze over to the tip.

Nightmare and the royal guards who were still awake were shocked at the further transformation.

"That's impossible! What is he?!" shouted one of the guards.

Nightmare stood, staring at him. 'Amazing. Simply amazing. Is there more to your potential? Is there more to mine?'

Dusk raised his head, eyes blank. He stopped breathing heavily. On instinct, his icy maw opened. In the back of his throat, cryo energy gathered. He was about to cast it down on everyone in the area, but before it could continue any further, the opposite side of his medal reacted. The CW symbol surged large doses of energy through Dusk's body. He wailed in pain along with the energy he gathered. Echoes of blue and green waves washed over the area.

The screeching sound caused everyone in the immediate area to cover their ears to make the pain stop to no avail. Several panes of glass around the castle shattered to pieces.

When the screams stopped, Dusk felt heavy. The ice around his body broke off. The emotional and physical toll was too much for him. His fell to the ground. Not long after, the white halo returned, and only a white colt was left in the dirt. Dusk, exhausted, stared at up at the moon before closing his eyes.

**A Minute Before**

Screams of pain and anguish flooded the castle.

A weak Princess Celestia opens her eyes. She pushed herself up, seeing her new setting. She was in bed with several of her wounds wrapped in bandages. Seeing the knights attending to the wounded and herself, she asked. "What happened?"

A mare pushed through the stallions to see Celestia. Cloverfield helped support the princess. "Milady, you're awake. Please, you need rest."

Celestia reached for her side. She expected a wound only to see a small scar. 'How?' The last thing she saw before blacking out was Dusk. 'Dusk!' "Kights, Cloverfield, where is my son? Where is Dusk?"

The Knights didn't have an answer. "We were under the impression that he evacuated with the others."

Cloverfield shook her head. "I haven't seen him. Why?"

Despite Cloverfields instance, she forced herself to stand and walk towards the nearest window. Up in the sky, she saw her sister fighting an unknown black pegasus. 'Is that…?' "What's happened to you, Dusk?" she whispered. Celestia recognized the face of her son anywhere after years of care and nurturing. 'I need to help him and stop Luna!' "Guards, help me to the grand hall." They all rebuked. With what little strength she had left, she raised her voice to the stallions. "This is a royal order. If we are ever to see the sun again, this may be our only option."

They all exchanged looks before nodding in determination. "As you wish, Celestia."

**Grand Hall**

Celestia stood in the middle of the room. "Oh, dear sister. I'm sorry, but you've given me no choice but to use these." With her magic, she opened a compartment underneath the floor. A structure resembling planets orbiting the sun rose; however, gems stood in their place. These were the Elements of Harmony, the same she and Luna used against Discord. Celestia commanded the jewels to her. They began to orbit her faster and faster to the point it seemed like a belt. Her body permeated an aurora of energy. Her wounds began to heal, and her stamina replenished. Ready to engage once more, she flew to the battlefield. In the corner of her eye, she saw Dusk collapsed on the ground, and she flew straight for him. It pained her so much to see her son like this, broken and hurt. Celestia knelt down to his and caressed his face. Harmonic powers streamed into the stallion. Slowly, his wounds healed, and his eyes flickered open. "I'm glad that you're okay."

Dusk gave a tired look to his mom. "What happened? I saw you hurt, and everything went like a blur."

Celestia let out a few tears before hugging her son. "Don't worry, Dusk. I'll take it from here."

Dusk smiled one last time before he closed his eyes to rest.

Celestia walked toward Nightmare Moon. "I can't allow this to continue any longer. Not only have you hurt me and our knights, but you also hurt my son. Surrender!"

Nightmare Moon charged her horn in response.

"Very well then. Have at thee." This needed to end now. Both sisters charged their final attack. The beams collided, and while the power of Nightmare Moon's malice was strong, it was no match for the Elements of Harmony. The Elements plowed through the beam struggle until it made contact with her sister.

"Nooooooo!" The former princess bathed in the collection of energy. The Nightmare shell began to strip away. It was feeling weak and needed to survive. In desperation, it clawed it's way deep within Luna's soul.

Celestia focused all her attention on Luna. She saw the outer layers peeling away, but the core problem was still there. The dark power clutched onto her sister persistently. 'Why isn't all the malice purging?' The Elements of Harmony couldn't completely penetrate into her heart. 'The stress for a petrification spell is too much for me." Unlike before, she didn't have someone else to share the burden of the Elements. 'I am not balanced in all the necessary attributes to do it alone.' "As much as I hate to do this, sister, you leave me with no other alternative.'

The ray of positive energy began pushing Nightmare Moon further and further away. It came to the point where Nightmare Moon was sent to her namesake. Celestia had banished Luna to the moon. Celestia lowered herself back to the ground in exhaustion and tears. She pushed herself together. 'I may have lost my sister, but my son still needs me' She immediately ran to check on him. Thankfully, the Knight were treating Lance and the others. "Dusk? Dusk? Can you hear me? Please, wake up."

The stallion's eyes flickered open. "Wha-What? Mom? Ah, my head hurts."

Celestia caressed his main. "It's me Dusk. I'm here."

He looked around him, looking for someone. "Where's Luna?"

She closed her eyes. "It's over. She's somewhere she won't hurt anypony anymore."

His eyes widened in shock at the possible implication "Is she. Is she…"

"No." Celestia shook her head immediately at the idea of her doing that. She didn't have the heart. "I banished her to the moon."

Dusk tried to sit up. "What? Why? Why would you do that? Couldn't you have cured her?"

Celestia gently embraced her son. "I tried. I tried so hard to purify her heart, but I was too weak. I couldn't channel the elements to their full potential."

"Does this mean she's all alone up there?" he whispered.

Celestia shook her head. "Sadly, yes, and I don't know how long."

Dusk looked to the moon. He's seen it all his life, and now it looked different. The former white surface was marked with the image of Luna. 'A mare in the moon.' "... Send me there."

At those words, Celestia gasped. "What? What are you saying, son?"

Dusk's eyes started to tear up again. 'I have to do this.' "I'm asking you to seal me in the moon too."

More tears fell from Celestia's eyes as she embraced Dusk even harder. "Please, don't leave me, Dusk. If I seal you, there won't be any way to bring you back. I've already lost Luna. You're all I have left."

"But Luna has no one up there.

More voices joined the conversation. "Kid, are you telling me that the one who whooped our flanks was Princess Luna?" asked a bandaged Iron Lance.

Cloverfield, who was supporting Lance, held the same look of confusion and concern. "Is this true, Princess Celestia? Was Princess Luna really the cause of all this destruction?"

The Prince and Princess turned downcast. Celestia looked at both of them with a serious expression. "Yes. It is true."

"But why?" Lance asked. "Why do any of this?"

Celestia's voice went soft. "She told me why; however, I'm sure that there was more than she let on."

Dust interrupted her. "Whatever the case may be, we weren't there when she needed us before, and I need to be there for her now."

"You can't be serious, Dusk. From what your mother said, you'll be up there for indefinitely."

Cloverfield brought Dusk into a gentle hug. "It's not our place to force you to do anything."

Dusk moved on to hug Lance. "I trust that you'll all be okay here. You all taught me to be strong."

This brought Celestia a small but sad chuckle. "We did, didn't we."

He looked back at the moon. "Luna's broken, and I need to try and fix her."

Celestia wiped away her tears. "Is that really what you want?"

He looked directly into her eyes and nodded. "Yes, Mom. It is."

She sobbed. "I guess there's no changing your mind then."

"I know." He hugged his mom for what felt like the last time. "I love you, mom. I always will."

She returned the hug in full force. "I love you too, Dusk. Please, stay safe." She kissed his forehead one last time before preparing the banishment spell.

"Don't think of this as a goodbye, Mom. I'll be back and so will Luna. We'll be back together again. You'll see."

She wiped her eyes. "Yes. Yes, we will." Finally, using the elements of harmony, Celestia cast the spell. Magical energy circled Dusk and whisked him away into the night sky. "Goodbye, Dusk. I'll be waiting."

**Meanwhile**

Far off in the distance, a purple cloaked figure watched Dusk be sent to the moon. "I'll be seeing you in a thousand years, Daniel."


	2. Freedom

**Day 364994 of Celestia's Rule**

**Canterlot**

A purple unicorn mare looks through her telescope to see a beautiful night sky over the kingdom of Equestria. As she is looking over some constellations, a flash of light draws her attention elsewhere. Her telescope rotates to the source only to find several green lights soaring through the sky past the moon and its mare pattern. "Spike!" she exclaimed in excitement. "Come here. There's a meteor shower." She heard a yawn.

"Twilight?" A little purple dragon with green spines walked onto the balcony.

Twilight moves over and lifts her younger brother to look through the telescope too.

He smiled brightly at the shower, amazed. "That's pretty cool. We rarely see those." He rose a brow after a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, why does it look green?"

Hearing the question, Twilight Sparkle got into book mode. "Meteor showers happen when something, usually a comet, leaves behind small particles of dust as it travels through space. If our planet happens to cross that path, those tiny bits of dust - called meteoroids - can run into our atmosphere and burn up. The color depends on what the piece of dust is made of. In the case right now, if there's a lot of magnesium in it, it'll emit green light as it burns up."

Spike stared at his older sister in confusion. "I don't think I understood half of that."

Twilight shook her head in amusement. "In retrospect, I don't expect you to, Spike. I only learned that in my Astronomy class during the academy."

Rolling his eyes at her, Spike started walking back into the house. "In any case, thanks for letting me see it. I should get back to work. I'm still working on my gift for Moon Dancer. Remember to put that away and lock up before you go to bed." He chuckled. "You don't want stray pigeons nesting in the library again."

She narrowed her glare at the young dragon. "One time. It happened one time. I took hours for me to shoo them out and clean up their mess." She shivered. "I still have nightmares of them tearing up pages for their nests."

Spike gave one last deadpan stare. "I'm not even surprised that you cared more about the books than them cleaning out most of our pantry." He continued his way to bed. "Goodnight, Twi."

Twilight gave a playful snort. "Goodnight, Spike." She continued to stargaze wondering what else this big world would hold.

**Somewhere, The Next Morning**

The area is flourished with numerous colors. Several birds perched on the branches of tall green trees. A gentle breeze sways the blades of grass. The only thing that stood out of place was the smoking crater. A small red fox approaches in curiosity with other forest creature close behind. They all felt the impact last night, curious about what it was. Looking down at its base, they all see a black and white stallion. While they have met other ponies in passing, this one felt different. There was a strange aura around him. A brave robin flutters to the bottom of the hole and lands on the pony's head. Making contact, she felt the cool yet comforting fur. Looking closer, the animals could see the pony's barrel expand and contract slower than normal. He was alive. How did he get here? How did he survive such a fall? Taking another risk, the robin began pecking at the stallion's face in hopes of waking him up. After a good minute of poking his cheeks, the body jerks slightly. Seeing this, the fox scurries a few away from the possible danger. Seeing the pony's eyes start to blink, she flew to a nearby branch, giving the pony some much-needed space.

Dusk felt pain all across his body. His mind felt hazy. 'Ugh. My everything hurts.' He rested for half an hour before attempting to move, flickering his eyes against the bright light now and then. It took several attempts for him to roll onto his back. After many breaths, he finally he opened his eyes to blue skies. Seeing the drastic change in atmosphere, he forced himself to his hooves, nearly falling over again. Steadying himself, Dusk took in the area around him. He was in a hole, a deep one. 'I hate my life...' Taking another half hour to crawl out, he collapsed. Immediately, his senses flared. His body pressed against the grass. His lungs breathed in the fresh, natural air. His eyes gazed at the multiple colors in the landscape. A flock of birds flew overhead and to the horizon.

"I can't believe it. I'm… I'm free!" Dusk raised his forelegs into the air, cheering. "I'm finally free!" He dropped down and began rolling around in the moist grass. Dusk was livid. He wasn't in a barren landscape. He didn't have to stare into the deep blackness of space every waking moment. "Luna, we're home. We're finally-" He looked around to see that he was all alone. The jovial expression quickly disappeared. "Oh… Yeah..." Dusk took a few breaths before sitting down.

"Look who's finally awake?" a feminine voice suddenly asked.

Dusk turned to the recognizable voice. Instead of Luna, Nightmare Moon stood in the grass; however, she looked different. Nightmare was semi-transparent, and her body was tied down in many frozen chains. Dusk sighed at her. "What do you want?" His voice filled with exhaustion.

A few animals in the background were staring at Dusk in hesitation and confusion. Who was the pony talking to? There was no one there.

Nightmare's coy smile turned into a faux frown. "Why the harsh tone? After all the time we spent together, I would have thought you would be used to me by now."

Dusk narrowed eyes at her. "Luna and I were doing just fine up there until the day you came back."

"When will you finally understand? I am everything Luna wants to be." Nightmare's power flared but did nothing to the chains.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that." Dusk started walking away in a random direction.

"I am her true self brought to life. The events of crystal empire and its fallout paved the way."

Dusk glared. "What do you mean by that? You mention it now and then, but you never go into detail."

She paused before speaking again. "Fear, Dusk. Ponies fear what they don't understand."

He slumped. "I never thought of Luna that way. I loved her."

"And that is why I need you, Dusk, more than you realize. To the world, I am just another danger, hiding in the darkness. Look at me now. Their fears have become reality." Nightmare shook her head from those thoughts. "It's not too late, Dusk. Release me, and you will be the herald of my new age. After that?" She fluttered her lashes. "Who knows."

Dusk deadpanned. "Yeah, not gonna happen."

With a sigh, the apparition of Nightmare followed the young stallion. "I've waited centuries to take back the kingdom. I can wait a little longer to get you on my side," replied Nightmare.

He turned back to her. "You and I both know that you can't do anything without a body."

"As long as you have me chained in your subconscious, you're right." She huffed in annoyance. "I'm stuck with you."

The animals nearby gave him a short sniff before going on their way. He was a strange pony, but not a threat as far as they could tell. Dusk started walking again. "Nightmare, we need to get our priorities straight right now."

She simply took the insult from her warden. "Fine. What do you want from me, then?"

Dusk took a good look at the area around them and found nothing. "Do you know where we are? Does anything look familiar? I got nothing."

She scoffed at him. "How would either of us know? All I see is a grass field and trees. Not exactly much to work with. We've been trapped on that blasted moon for who knows how long."

Dusk sighed. "Yeah, I lost count after a few centuries."

"The same goes for me as well." Raising a brow, she asked, "Why? Where are you trying to go?"

"I need somepony who can tell me where to find Mom." Deciding to head east, he started his way. 'I guess I should try walking and see where that takes me.'

The figure of Nightmare floated alongside. "So what? You'll try to get rid of me."

Dusk paused. "I just want to fix our family..."

Nightmare expression softened at his answer. "How many times do I have to tell you? Luna is no more. The age of two princesses has ended. There's no going back."

"And I told you that you're wrong!" he yelled. "I know Luna's still in there, somehow, and I'm not gonna stop just because you said so." Dusk went quiet before continuing. "I can't stand us falling apart for so long..."

Nightmare looked at him solemnly. 'So naive, yet that is one of the things I like about you.'

Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed the area. His eyes widened at the realization, and a blush reached his muzzle. "Huh. It feels weird feeling hungry after hundreds of years." When he finally found daisies to eat, biting into one sent a wave of flavor through his mouth. While it's not the best thing ever, it was enough to cause Dusk to scarf down several patches worth. Various herbivores scampered away from the pony eating with such vigor. With his energy filled up, his body started to heal much faster than before. Looking back up, Dusk saw Nightmare lick her lips at the thought of food. "You want some?"

She raised a brow. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Let me see if this works..." Dusk closed his eyes and tried to focus. He wrapped his thoughts around the taste in his mouth and feeling of content.

Nightmare was astonished as wisps of ethereal blue energy began to swirl in the mindscape. Seconds later, a lone flower appeared in front of her. "Fascinating."

"Well, try it."

Picking up the flower in her free hoof, she took a small bite. Pupils widened as she registered the flavor, and she proceeded to gobble up the rest. Calming down, she saw Dusk trying to hide his laugh. A small blush of embarrassment forming, she looked away and coughed. "Let's hurry up and get going."

Dusk shook his head. "I suppose it's time for an aerial view." Closing his eyes once more, Dusk focused on the icy feeling inside himself and pulled it outward. A white halo formed around his body. Splitting in two, they crossed his entire body, and as they passed, the color of his fur inverted. His white coat became black, and his hooves, collar, tail, and mane became snow white. Black and white wings sprouted from his back. A slight white glow emanated from him. His eyes opened to reveal toxic emerald irises.

Nightmare examined Dusk and his transformation. Even after years of seeing it, there was so much about it that she didn't understand. "I keep telling you, black is your color." She gestured to herself. "Very slimming. I do miss your horn, though."

"I'm still surprised that I can become part Pegasus at all." Letting out a tired sigh, he flapped into the air. The feeling of flying here felt so much better than on the moon. The cool breeze flowed under his feathers, bringing a comfortable cooling sensation. Meanwhile, the sun above gave a gentle warm washing over his fur. 'How did I live so long without this?' About an hour of casual flying later, he spotted what looked like buildings on the horizon. 'I guess that's a good place to start.' With a thought, his body turned invisible and flew near the town's entrance. He went behind a nearby tree before transforming back to normal.

Nightmare gave him a curious look. "Why are you not in your transformed state?."

He rolled his eyes at the question. "We may be centuries in the future, but I doubt ponies are very welcoming to mysterious glowing black pegasi."

Nightmare paused before she nodded in agreement. "Point taken."

"Now, where are we?" Approaching a sign, he read, "Welcome to Ponyville: A safe place to live?"

"Well." Nightmare laughed. "Now that we're here, I wonder how long that lasts."

**Ponyville**

Dusk slowly walked into the small town. It was one thing to see modern Equestrian civilization in dreams, but it felt so surreal to be back. Many ponies were walking around, going about their daily lives. Fillies and colts could be running through the streets. Stallions and Mares perused through stores and stalls. He could faintly hear the conversations around him. Dusk tried to take it all in.

Nightmare nostalgically smiled. "You know, this place is much more reminiscent of Everfree compared to the other places we've seen in the dream realm. I like it."

He nodded. "For once we agree on something.

Looking up, he saw several pegasi making their way around. One particular grey mare flew by with a stack of several packages. She didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going because she collided with a lamp post. Both she and the packages fell with a crash.

Nightmare chuckled. "Would you look at that? We're already getting started."

Dusk sent Nightmare a glare. "Oh, quiet, you."

The foals who were playing nearby started laughing. A few adults who saw the incident rolled their eyes and went on with their day, pulling their children away from the scene.

He frowned. 'Not wanting to get involved. Some things never change.' Dusk walked over to the fallen gray mare. Her eyes were still spinning. "Excuse me. Are you hurt? You took a pretty nasty fall." He held out a hoof to pull her up.

Getting her bearings back, she quickly accepted the hoof. "Thank you, mister. I think I'm okay." She turned to the stallion and got a good look at him. "Are you new in town? I don't think I've ever seen you before. I know just about everyone in Ponyville."

He nodded. "I am." Dusk finally got a good look at her as well. She had a yellow mane with bubbles as her cutie mark. When he focuses on her head, he grew a bit worried. "Do you need a doctor? I think there may be something wrong with your eyes." Both of her pupils were looking in different directions.

Nightmare made a face. "Dear gods, she's like those lizards."

Dusk gave her a mental smack. 'I don't need your commentary right now.'

The mare looked away in embarrassment, a wing hiding the side of her head. She hated it when her eyes made meeting new people awkward. "No. No. It's fine. This happened as I grew older. I'm not sure why."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." Dusk slowly raised a hoof to her wing. He gently pulled it down, so he could see her again. Her mouth writhed in nervousness. "You know, looking at it again, it's not that bad."

"Really? You're not just saying that to be nice..." She attempted to cover herself again only for Dusk to continue speaking.

"Believe me when I say that eyesight is the least of a pony's worries. All that matters is how he or she responds to the world..." Dusk thought about Nightmare. "I know somepony who has a lot of unresolved issues with her sister and family. They haven't talked in years."

She chuckled at how small her problem was. "I guess. You're right."

"Try not to let it get to you. Again, I'm sorry for bringing it up."

She shook her head. "It's fine. You didn't know."

He nodded. "How about we start over. I don't think I got your name."

"You can call me Ditzy. Ditzy Doo."

He smiled as well. "And my name is Dusk."

Ditzy gave a thoughtful expression. "If you'd like, Dusk, I can give you a short tour of the place."

"Really?" 'I do need to get my bearings and possibly a map.' "I'd appreciate it, but don't you have to bring these somewhere." He gestured to the scattered letters and boxes.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. We can do that after." She started stacking some boxes. "So, how do you like the town so far?

"Well, my first impressions of this little town are a little mixed." Dusk bent down to collect the scattered letters. "It looks lovely, but it's also disappointing to see that some ponies would walk by you just now."

Ditzy rubbed her hooves a bit. "I can't blame them. I've been in this situation more than once. I suppose they got used to seeing me like this." She smiled at the kind stallion. "I'm glad you came through. It's been hectic lately."

He returned it in kind. "I'm happy to help."

She glanced at the gear-shaped object around his neck. "I like your medal. What does CW stand for?"

"Thanks, and to be honest, I don't know. I've had this since I was a foal." He shrugged before rubbing its face. "I always figured that it would tell me where I was from before I was adopted."

"A thousand years later, I still have nothing," grumbled Nightmare.

Ditzy's expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that."

He shook his head. "Don't be. Who I am now is all thanks to my Mom. I wouldn't want it any other way."

When the two of them picked up all the scattered mail, Ditzy asked if Dusk could help her back to the post office, and he obliged. The two of them proceeded to walk across town and continued their small talk. "Since you just arrived today, where are you from?"

"I'm from Everfree."

Ditzy raised a brow. "Everfree? Do you mean the Everfree forest?"

Dusk blinked at the response. Everfree did have a forest, but the connotation that Ditzy had was unnerving. "Uh, something like that. It's nearby."

She shrugged. "Must be a small town. Can't say I've heard of it. By the way, are you staying for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"What did she say?" This caught Nightmare's attention.

"Summer Sun Celebration?"

"You haven't heard of it?" Ditzy asked with a tilt of her head.

"Sorry. I haven't. I've spent all of my life in Everfree. There's a lot about the outside world to get used to."

Ditzy beamed. "Then this will be your first one! The Summer Sun Celebration is when we celebrate Princess Celestia raising the sun for the longest day of the year."

The icy chains held down the angry mare. "Celestia did what!" Nightmare exclaimed. "She made an entire holiday just about her!"

Dusk kept his face from frowning. 'Really, mom. You're not helping me out right now.' "I see. It certainly sounds fun. What exactly do you guys do?"

"Normally, the town has one huge party, but this year, Celestia chose to raise the sun here in Ponyville. It'll be the one-thousandth sunrise!"

This brought a pause to Dusk and Nightmare. "Mom..." he whispered. 'Wait, did she say one thousand? We've been on the moon for a millennia!'

"We've been imprisoned up there while she's been having fun?!" Nightmare tried biting through her chains to no avail.

'W-We need to talk to Mom. I'm sure that she wouldn't have forgotten us.'

"How do you know? How do you know that we didn't fade into history like Everfree."

'I don't...' Dusk composed himself. "S-So, Celestia is coming here? When?"

"It'll be in five days, but the entire town is busy with preparations," replied the mail mare.

"It appears destiny is in your favor," commented Nightmare. "When I get my hooves on her..."

"I suppose that's why you have so much mail." Dusk straightened the packages on his back.

Ditzy nodded. "Yup. It can be a bit overwhelming. Everyone wants it to be perfect."

'Five days... I can finally see her again. Wait.' Dusk turned to Ditzy. "Do you guys have any inns in town?"

"Yup, ponies from all over will be coming to the festival."

'Ah, crud. Unless they accept moon rocks, I'm broke and homeless.'

"You never thought about where you were going to sleep. Did you?" asked Nightmare.

'No. No, I did not.'

"On the bright side, you've gotten used to sleeping on the cold hard ground for years."

Noticing the anxious expression on his face, Ditzy spoke. "Are you gonna be staying with family or friends?"

Dusk gave a sad chuckle "Sadly, no. I'm here without a bit to my name. Maybe I'll find a nice tree to sleep under."

"Really?" The two of them had finally reached the post office. "I'm sorry to hear that." Ditzy pushed the door open, only to hear a loud crashing sound. She strained a smile to the concerned Dusk. "Whoops." Once inside, they were met with stacks and piles of boxes and bags of letters. She laughed nervously. "We're kinda behind schedule. All of us here have been, rushing to get things done. If only we had..." Suddenly, Ditzy looked from the mail and to Dusk carrying a box a few times before she spoke again. "Hey, I know how to solve both our problems."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Since the entire office overflowing with orders, we can hire you as a temp."

"A temp?"

"You'll be working for us until the celebration is over."

"That's nice of you, but I just got here. While I do need money, I still don't know the lay of the land."

Ditzy shook her head. "Minor setback. We can work together on your first run while also giving you the tour I promised."

'What do you think?' Dusk asked Nightmare.

The lunar mare sighed. "The mare certainly wears her heart on her flank. In any case, it's better than nothing or trespassing. Seeing Celestia again would be an... experience."

"So, do we have a deal?" Ditzy held out her hoof.

Dusk thought for a moment before smiling and shaking her hoof. "Where do we go first?"


End file.
